Cooking adventures and recipe archives of a home cook in Southern California. I created this blog mostly to share with friends and family, and it includes many recipes for Chinese grub, especially those staples I grew up with as a kid in Taiwan. But as you'll notice, I'm game for any and all cuisines.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Pan-Fried Tofu with Scallions and Soy Sauce

Very simple ingredients in this recipe. In fact, the most time consuming (if you consider 5-6 minutes time consuming) part is the pan-frying of the tofu to achieve a lightly golden, crispy exterior. This dish is standard fare in Taiwanese cuisine and a fixture in my mom's home cooking. The sliced red jalapeno is not traditional, but something I like to add for color & a little kick. I've cooked this dish two ways: one using firm/regular tofu, which is cut into large rectangular slices, and the other using soft tofu which is cut into squares.

3. Heat oil over medium high heat. With paper towels, blot tofu to remove excess water and fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Tofu should be fried in a single layer - cook in batches, if needed.

4. Remove tofu to plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.

5. Remove all but about 1 tsp. of oil from the pan, bring back up to medium high heat and add scallions & garlic (you can also add 1 sliced jalapeno chili if you like it a bit spicy). Cook briefly then add fried tofu slices.

6. Pour sauce over the tofu, bring to a boil; reduce heat to low & simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until sauce is slightly reduced. Bring sauce back up to a boil then add the cornstarch slurry. Cook for about 1 minute until sauce is thickened.

Soft tofu here cut into smaller squares. Soft tofu will break apart if you try to fry it in large pieces.

4 scallions, cut into 2" sections.

Pan-fry the tofu slices in 1/2 cup of hot oil, about 1-2 minutes per side or until just golden.

Here's the other version using the smaller tofu squares. Carefully lift the tofu pieces with a spatula occasionally, to make sure they don't stick to the bottom of the pan (best to use a non-stick pan).

Remove tofu slices to paper towel to drain.

If using soft tofu, you don't have to drain them on paper towels. Just set aside on a plate after pan-frying.